Girls basketball

They work hard. They play hard. The Mater Dei Monarchs of Santa Ana, Calif.) also celebrate hard. Moments after pulling out a wild 74-69 win over St. Mary’s (Stockton, Calif.), one of their award plagues hit the hardwood. Just like that, a hush fell over the team. A few seconds later, they laughed it off and continued to belt out screams of delight. (An ‘Iolani Classic official replaced the slightly broken plaque.) Mater Dei, ranked No. 18 nationally by the […]

There are a few bumps and bruises after three games in three days, but the top-ranked ‘Iolani Raiders have no regrets. After nearly upsetting the nation’s No. 18 team, Mater Dei, on Friday, the Raiders took out their frustration on South Medford (Ore.) with a 75-52 win. The Panthers normally do plenty of running, but they ran out of gas against the Raiders, who showed no showed no signs of fatigue after the 60-57 loss to Mater Dei. Defending state […]

This is one of the most interesting moments of the 2019-20 girls basketball season. There is enough data for any observer to have a gut feeling about teams. There’s also so much time ahead for any team to evolve. Or flounder. Perhaps both. Here’s a look at some of the mesmerizing teams as of Friday morning, Dec. 13. >> Who are these Royals? Hanalani has, maybe, as much talent assembled in their cozy, air-conditioned gym as any Division II program […]

Three seasons ago, Amaya Oliver’s world was so bright. Then came the knee injury in early 2018. The rehab. The comeback. Oliver is almost all the way back. The 6-foot-1 senior hustled for 21 points and 12 rebounds, her blonde hairdo bouncing all over the hardwood as St. Mary’s (Stockton, Calif.) pulled away for a 60-44 win over Konawaena on Thursday in the opening round of the ‘Iolani Prep Classic. It was not easy for St. Mary’s, which finished the […]

Dean Young exhaled. Winning on the road in the rugged ILH girls basketball gauntlet is never easy. The Raiders executed another masterful defensive performance in a 53-26 win at No. 3 Kamehameha and improved to 2-0 in league play (9-0 overall). Defending state champion ‘Iolani now has wins over five Top 10 teams, including a 54-26 victory over No. 2 Konawaena. Coach Young and his players chatted after the game about defense, or more precisely, defensive IQ.

The last time the top-ranked ‘Iolani Raiders played an opponent with this much clout, they dismantled Konawaena. After ‘Iolani crushed the Wildcats 54-26 on Nov. 14, Konawaena went on to win its next seven games, notching wins over five Top 10 teams. This time, the Raiders took Kamehameha for a similar ride, dominating on both ends of the hardwood in a 53-26 thrashing at Kekuhaupio Gymnasium on Tuesday night. Lily Wahinekapu poured in 21 points and added three assists, three […]

Latoya Wily doesn’t know much about ‘Iolani’s Lily Wahinekapu and Jovi Lefotu. She does remember being a kid and seeing their auntie, Sharon Wahinekapu, run the point for OIA powerhouse — at the time — Kalaheo. “My parents would always take my sister Artevia and I to watch players like Sharon and Brandy (Richardson) of Kalaheo,” Wily recalled. “Just like her, Lily and Jovi are fun to watch.” The sisters are as unassuming and humble as state champions could be. […]